Right-of-way and intersections
You are pulling out of a shopping center driveway onto a busy street. Who has to yield?
- You do, to the traffic already moving in the lanes. Correct answer
- Drivers in the nearest lane, who must slow down to let you in.
- Whoever is on the right, as when two cars reach an intersection together.
Why
Traffic that is already in the lanes has the claim on them, so the driver joining the flow is the one who waits, and you go ahead carefully when there is room. The idea that drivers in the near lane have to make space for you gets it backwards, and the right-hand rule is a tiebreaker for two vehicles that arrive at an intersection at the same moment, not a rule for merging. Two lines from the same page round this out. Never count on another driver handing you the right-of-way, and give up your own whenever that helps avoid a crash. On the freeway the handbook does ask drivers to make space for vehicles entering, even when they have the right-of-way, but that is a request to them, not something you can count on.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is You do, to the traffic already moving in the lanes.
The rule behind this one
Right of way in California: who goes first goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on right-of-way and intersections
- You are about to make a right turn at an intersection. What does the handbook tell you to check for every time?
- You are entering a roundabout with two lanes and plan to go straight through. Which lane should you choose?
- You are already driving inside a roundabout. Which of these does the handbook require?
- A pedestrian waiting at the corner looks right at you and makes eye contact as you approach. What does the handbook say this means?